Historic mission: NASA has tested a new robot, which will soon go to Mars

The staff of space Agency NASA’s jet propulsion Laboratory have tested a new robot, which has been named InSight (“Intuition”), soon will go to Mars. It is reported online edition of Naked Science.

An unusual feature of this machine is that, unlike previous Rovers that explored the surface of Mars on wheels, it will remain at the landing site.

It is the first device that will study the deep layers of Martian soil, so instead of the wheels had a sturdy frame, allowing it to stand on virtually any surface.

For testing, scientists have equipped a special laboratory that simulates Martian conditions, including the soil and light. Lights placed throughout the laboratory, to calibrate the camera to those subsequently were adapted to the sunlight that hits the atmosphere of Mars.

Because InSight will not be able to move after landing, the engineers work out different scenarios of landing. Workspace is always changing, simulating elevation and depression with a slope of 15 degrees. In such circumstances, the apparatus is testing three tools: Hyper-sensitive seismometer, the screen that protects him, and the heat flow sensor. The full name of the entire installation – Scientific Experiment on the structure of the Subsurface (SEIS).

The laboratory staff has posted a video which detailed their experiments. They noted that, unlike fiction films, the real robots move very slowly, so their job requires a lot of patience and concentration in order to consider all the details. They are especially proud of the movable tap, whereby InSight will be able to explore the depths of the Martian soil.